The present invention relates generally to artificial nails that are applied to natural nails with an adhesive, and more particularly to an artificial nail having an application tab for aiding the application of the artificial nail to the natural nail.
Artificial nails have been used for many years to enhance the cosmetic appearance of the fingers. Some individuals opt to use artificial nails because their own nails are too weak to grow to a desirable length without breaking. Others choose artificial nails because they are considerably stronger and more durable than natural nails, and because nail polish adheres better to the artificial nail surface. Some individuals are unhappy with the shape and contour of their natural nail and opt to use an artificial nail to improve the appearance of their nails.
It has been known in the art of adorning the hands to provide ornamental fingernail accessories made from thin, molded plastic members manufactured generally in the shape of a fingernail. Indeed, numerous artificial fingernail manufacturers have provided a variety of combinations of materials, arrangements, and colors in fingernail accessories. For example, many conventional pre-designed fingernails often include a decorative design stenciled or air-brushed on a top surface thereof.
With the advent of such artificial fingernail accessories, the wearer could now have intricately pre-designed fingernails that are attached to the natural fingernail and then later easily removed. The pre-designed artificial nail is glued to the surface of the natural nail by applying an amount of a liquid bonding adhesive to the bottom surface of the artificial nail and/or the top surface of the natural nail to affix the accessory to the nail. Usually the wearer must wipe or trim away any excess adhesive and then wait several moments until the adhesive dries to ensure that the accessory is secured to the nail. An overlay is then typically applied to the entire top surface of the artificial nail. The overlay is usually transparent or translucent so that the decorative design is visible on the top surface of the artificial nail. Once the overlay sets, the artificial nail is shaped as desired.
One drawback with artificial nails, however, is that the application process can be cumbersome and messy. In particular, in attaching an artificial nail, it is necessary to grasp the artificial nail itself and apply glue to the bottom side of the nail. The artificial nail is then turned over so the glued bottom side faces downward whereby the artificial nail can be positioned on the natural nail. Once the artificial nail is properly placed, a slight pressure must be placed on the nail so that the glue sufficiently secures the artificial nail to the natural nail. Because the artificial nail is being held between the fingers of the opposite hand during this entire process, the applied glue often comes in contact with the fingers. Not only may this detrimentally alter the adhesive bonding characteristics of the glue, but it also makes handling of the artificial nail difficult. Cleaning the glue from the fingers between each nail application also makes the process more time consuming.
Accordingly, it would desirable to provide an artificial nail that can be applied to the natural nail without the aforementioned drawbacks. In particular, it would be desirable to provide an artificial nail that can be easily handled during application and which minimizes the chance of glue coming into contact with the fingers.